The "unicorn" cardigan has proved very popular (©Agnes Tandler)
The fishing town Kesennuma saw immense destruction and tragedy during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
A knitwear company set up in the wake of the disaster is trying to bring back hope and happiness. Some of its handmade sweaters are so sought after that they have waiting lists of one and a half years.
Tamako Mitarai could be sitting in a glitzy office tower overlooking the skyline of Tokyo, London, or New York. Instead, the 39-year-old economist is seated in a modest wooden building overlooking the port of Kesennuma. It's a quiet town of 60,000 inhabitants on the east coast of Japan. "It is important to create jobs here," the Tokyo University graduate says.
Washed Away in the Tsunami
On March 11, 2011, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan reduced whole neighborhoods in Kesennuma to rubble. Within minutes, waves more than 30 meters high washed away everything in the low-lying districts of the southern part of town.
The port city lost more than 1,300 lives — almost 2% of its entire population. A third of the houses and 80 percent of the businesses were damaged.
When the disaster struck, Mitarai was more than 4,600 kilometers away from Japan working as an adviser to the government of Bhutan. Upon hearing the news, she decided to return to Japan to work for the areas affected by the disaster.
Mitarai now heads Kesennuma Knitting, a small company specializing in handmade sweaters and cardigans. One of the company's knitters is Kayoko, a 75-year-old grandmother of three. Like so many in Kesennuma, Kayoko lost her home in the 2011 disaster.
"It's still difficult," she says. Knitting away on a brown cap, Kayoko pauses needlework for a moment and recounts the names of her fellow knitters who were also affected by the disaster. More than half of the company's knitters lost their homes, she concludes.
Slow Recovery
Before 2021, Kesennuma was the busiest port in Japan for processing swordfish and bonito caught by deep-sea fishing boats in places as far away as Spain. Fishing provided 85% of the jobs in town. With ships, ports, processing plants, and cold stores damaged or gone, it took time for the main industry to recover. Urban reconstruction was slow, too.
Redevelopment plans were made to elevate low-lying areas of the town to save them from another tsunami. The ambitious project meant bringing in 13 million cubic meters of earth to raise the land. It took until the end of 2019 to complete the plan, leaving hundreds in provisional housing for years. Some of the knitters who work for Kesannuma Knitting were among them.
Mitarai arrived in the disaster zone as a project manager for the consulting firm McKinsey. She soon saw that people needed more than just food, shelter, and medical care. "Almost all projects were short-term," she explains. "I felt that a long-term commitment was needed."
In Bhutan, Mitarai was involved in promoting tourism and handicrafts as part of the country's Gross National Happiness strategy. The tiny kingdom in the Himalayas famously coined the term "Gross National Happiness" to emphasize the importance of non-economic aspects of well-being.
Mitarai's work in Bhutan caught the attention of Shigesato Itoi, an artist, writer, and game designer, who was also running the popular website "Hobo Nichi". Itio and Mitarai bonded over their mutual interest in Bhutan and soon formed a friendship. It was only natural that in 2011 Itoi called on Mitarai to help with his work in the disaster zone.
A Manly Culture of Knitting
"It was originally his idea to create a hand-knitting company in Kesennuma", explains Mitarai, speaking of her friend. The fishing town had a unique culture of knitting. Famous as deep sea fishers, fishermen from Kesennuma used to be at sea for months, thousands of miles away from their home port. On board, they had plenty of downtime to knit their own sweaters to protect themselves from the elements.
"Many of our knitters learned to knit from their fathers," adds Mitarai. Nowadays this culture of manly knitting is no more. Fishermen don't pass their time with knitting needles. They don ready-to-wear gore-tex jackets and fleece sweaters at sea instead of their own hand-knitted garments.
A Niche in Sustainable Fashion
Fascinated by this unique culture of knitting, Mitarai set out to produce sweaters made in Kesennuma. She started small with just four knitters. Initial funding and support came from Itoi who also advertised the knitting project on his website.
To everyone's surprise, the first model received over 100 pre-orders. That was way more than the tiny team in Kesennuma could produce. "We had to do a lottery to choose our customers", says Mitarai.
Furthermore, the success of the sweaters brought pride to the knitters of Kesennuma. "It restored a sense of dignity," says Mitarai. The knitters felt that they could finally do something useful. Knitting helped them to hold onto something when so much had been lost.
Today, the company has around 30 knitters who make sweaters, caps, shawls, and cardigans. Knitters are getting paid by the piece, which is normally a bad deal in the clothing industry. Nevertheless, Kesennuma Knitting is responding to a need in the job market. "Most of our knitters cannot work full time," Mitarai explains. "It is a small town. Women often need to care for their husbands, parents, or grandchildren. They want flexible work, but job options are quite limited here. We create jobs so they can work at home at their own pace."
Mitarai does not want to talk about numbers. She remains silent about her company's profit, turnover, sales, and salaries. Yet, it is safe to say that Kesennuma Knitting has managed to establish itself quite firmly in the niche market of sustainable fashion.
Building Pride and Big Fans
With a solid fan base inside and outside Japan, many customers return to order a new piece. One of the reasons is the personal touch. Buying a sweater from the company is a special experience.
Some products are made-to-order only. Others will be customized according to individual wishes. Prices range from ¥15,000 JPY ($98 USD) for a cap to ¥185,000 ($1,200) for a cardigan. Each knitwear item comes with a tag with the name and a small sketch of the knitter.
There is also a blank message card that comes with the purchased product. The new owner can write a message to the knitter and post it in a stamped envelope. "We receive many warm messages", says Mitarai. "I love the sweater" and "I wear it every day." Or, I love the color." Some say, "I want to wear it my entire life and pass it down to my daughter."
It looks like Mitarai is succeeding in bringing happiness not only to Kessennuma but also to her customers.
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Author: Agnes Tandler (Kesennuma)
Find other essays and articles by Agnes Tandler on JAPAN Forward.
